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CHAPTER 1
Come Together
"Come together right now, over me"
-The Beatles
Jesus Prays For All Believers
"My prayer is not for them alone (the apostles). I pray also for those who will
believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as
you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that
they may be one - I in them and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even
as you have loved me."
- John 17:20-23
One of my favorite scenes from Braveheart involves William Wallace pleading
with Robert the Bruce to "Unite The Clans." It would become one of Wallace's
final and most important aspirations. After generations of oppression by the ruthless Kings of England, Wallace desired freedom for his people. The one thing
blocking victory for the Scottish army was that the clans were divided. The Lords
of Scotland had sold out their freedom to the King of England for titles and lands,
money and power. Wallace knew that if the clan leaders could let go of their self1
ish ambition and unite their resources and warriors that the reward would be a noble and free Scotland, a land of dreams.
Before leaving this earth Jesus had similar aspirations. Jesus knew that the enemy of the Kingdom of God was Division.
"A house divided against itself cannot stand."
-Abraham Lincoln quoting Jesus
Jesus knew that the human desire for power and building our own little kingdoms was very real and very desirable. The enemy promises us land and titles,
power and money. In fact Jesus himself was tempted by Satan to abandon the
larger vision of the Kingdom of God for his own kingdom here on earth.
"The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the
kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and
splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you
worship me, it will all be yours." -Luke 4:5-7
Imagine it. Jesus comes to earth on a mission. To destroy the power of the
devil by dying on a cross and reconciling all the earth to God. However, after hearing the devils generous offer of being given all of the kingdoms of the world and
their glory Jesus takes him up on his offer. Jesus becomes a devil worshipper and
quickly becomes the most powerful ruler ever known to man, lives another 30
years and then dies. Personally he has a great life. All the riches, glory and power a
man could desire. But Gods mission is aborted. The rest of the world remains
hopeless and in need of salvation. But none shall be given. Quite a different ending to the story huh? But thank God that Jesus didn't take this path. Instead he
firmly rebukes the devil saying, "Away with you Satan! For it is written "You shall
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worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.". My friends we also
must choose. Will we continue building our own kingdoms, live a happy life and
then die, leaving the job of Gods Kingdom to some future generation? The enemy knows his time is short and so the longer he can distract and divide us then
Christ's Body will be unable to fulfill her true mission.
"Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven".
-Matthew 6:10
Having this foresight and staring the cross in the face, Jesus recited to His Father a most interesting prayer for all believers. That we would be one. That we
would "...keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of Peace." as Paul later admonished the Church in Ephesus. Jesus knew that the key to the success of the
Church was for her to remain united. In essence Jesus was pleading with the Father, pleading with us, to Unite The Clans. Taking a closer look at this prayer we
can't help but notice the outcome of a United body of Christ, namely to "let the
world know" that good news had come. To let the world know that the God of
the Universe loved people even as much as he loved His only son. Jesus knew that
the only way to reach the world with the saving knowledge of God's grace was for
the believers in that grace to be brought to complete unity. There's no way
around it. All for One. One for All.
Ever wonder why its so hard to reach more people with the gospel in your
church, your town, your city, your nation, the world? Take a look at the state of
the Church, your City, your Self. Take an honest look. Take your time. There's
no rush in gathering facts. A truthful assessment is the first step towards a true
cure. Ask yourself these questions.....
Is the Church in my city united?
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Is the Church in America united?
How about the Church in Europe?
How about the Catholics and the Greek Orthodox?
Is there racism in the Church?
What about sexism, agism?
Anglicans and Methodist?
Missionary Baptist and United Pentecostal?
Black and White and Latino?
Asian, African and European?
Rich and Poor?
Upperclass, middle class, lower class?
HEY! Wake up call for all of us! We aren't supposed to act and look like the
world
around us! We are a Kingdom of Priests. A Holy Nation. A peculiar people.
We are SUPPOSED to look different!
Do you know that despite all the great leaders and efforts made there is still major segregation in America? in Ireland. In Germany. In Africa. Name your
country....you will find segregation, division and racism running rampant. Why?
Because the only cure is found kneeling arm in arm at the cross and the throne. It
is the only place in the universe where we can be truly reconciled, where we can
find healing and forgiveness and arise as one body united and full of purpose.
"For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has de
stroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility." Ephesians 2:14
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We will talk more about this later but does it bother you that Sunday is the
most segregated day in America?
Maybe you're saying to yourself....
"Im willing to work in the mission field, serve the poor, change pull-ups in the
kids ministry. But don't ask me to hang out with those presbyterians or those charismatics. Our little kingdom is doing just fine. We are comfortable amongst our
relatives, you know, our "kind".
"Why in the world would God want me to be uncomfortable?
Anyhow, God is big enough to reach the world without my help."
Right?
Well the short answer is yes. Of course God is big enough to do whatever He
wants. But what He wants for us is to be ONE. God's decision to make us His
hands and feet to the world, to make us the city on a hill for all to see is hardly an
accident. In fact Jesus said that by leaving us and sending the Holy Spirit we
would do even greater things than He himself ! Look, this isn't my idea. It also
wasn't the idea of Zondervan Publishing who printed my Bible. This idea to unite
the clans in order to build a greater Kingdom is not man made. This design was
breathed in a final prayer by the Savior of the World. And we know if He prayed
for something then that prayer Will be answered. The question before us is will
we be the generation to answer that prayer? Will we as the Church of God in our
generation stand united or fall divided?
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You and I have been called by God to reach the world with the message of God's great salvation.
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Matthew 28:19
But before we can be truly effective in this calling, one very large giant of divi
sion must be slain.
My earnest prayer is that our generation will allow God to pick us up out of the river, put us in his sling and cast us mightily into the forehead of that giant.
Then we can say as David said "This day the LORD will deliver you into my
hands, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head... and the WHOLE WORLD will know that there is a God in Israel." 1 Samuel 17:46
The time has come.
Unite The Clans
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CHAPTER 2
One Body, Many Parts
Personally speaking I'm grateful that my Scottish ancestors united and fought
for their Freedom. Its always good to fight against tyranny. Being Scottish, I come
from a long line of Presbyterian ministers. The McLellans (My Mother's maiden
name) are a fantastic bunch of people. A great clan! In fact, growing up in America, we enjoyed year after year of family reunions that shaped my identity and
made me proud of my spiritual and cultural heritage. When I was about 13 years
old, my family and I traveled to Scotland and saw the remains of the McLellan
castle and the beautiful countryside of my people. That trip helped shape my
identity. Its good to have roots. Its good to know who you are and where you
come from. We all need a place to belong and we all need community.
No Man Is An Island
No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
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As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were:
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind,
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
-John Donne
We all know this to be true but I'm also sure there isn't a single one of us
who wouldn't mind owning a deserted island of our own. We all need alone
time. Even Jesus went away alone to pray every now and then.
But the Church is not a place to sneak in and out unnoticed. The Church is
designed to be God's people caring for one another in community and reaching
out to the world with arms wide open. We are God's voice calling people to come
home to Him and His mercy. We are God's Hospital. A safe harbor for those
troubled and heavily burdened by the pain and hardships of life. We are also a
place of great rejoicing and celebration. We are a family, all of us uniquely gifted
by the Maker and all of us equally sinful and forgiven by His grace. You see the
Church is the only place in the world where we all have common ground. And
not one of us can say that we found our way to this home.
No One Is Righteous
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"What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we
have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power
of sin. As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
Romans 3:9-12
AND
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear
fruit--fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my
name.
- John 15:17
So, as you can see from these two scriptures, you and I don't have a leg to stand
on. I'm sorry to break it to you. But, the truth is we all deserve death and were all
given the gift of life as an act of sovereign grace. And Paul explains that it had to
be grace so that NO ONE could boast (Ephesians 2:9). Makes you wonder why so
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many of us Christians love boasting about how great we are, huh? It's honestly a
simple misunderstanding of how desperately filthy and lost we were before Jesus
found us. He brought us home, put a ring on our finger and a robe on us and
called us his joint heirs in the eternal Kingdom of God. That my friends is where
we all stand. Having such knowledge gives us freedom from self doubt and freedom from performance. It gives us freedom to love. Unconditionally. Even as we
have been loved.
So the Church then is a place of belonging. Where there truly is equality and
freedom.
This place we belong is inclusive. In fact it includes every Christian from every
tribe and tongue from every generation to ever call on the name of the LORD.
Thats a really big family! A global and timeless place to call home. But let me be
clear. The Church is not a building! Its a people! A community. And the practicalities of her life and mission are worked out as simply as when two or three are
gathered in His name. (Matthew 18:20). The Church exists globally but also locally. You see when the McLellans gather every year in Kentucky they come from
all over the country. But afterwards we all return home to our immediate families.
Similarly, the everyday presence of our local church is a necessity for our growth
and wholeness in Christ. God's plan is for each of us to help one another grow
and mature in our faith. In short, we need one another. Not only to accomplish
our personal goals but to accomplish the collaborative goal of the body of Christ.
Consider once again Paul's words to the Ephesians...
"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who
is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by
every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its
work."
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God likens us to the beautiful and scarred body of His beloved Son. We ARE
the body of Christ. There is no pretending here. When The Father welcomed us
home and put a robe of righteousness around us we took on a new identity and we
became an important and vital part of a new community. Paul helps us understand that this Body is made of many different parts. Each part has a function
and each part is interdependent of the other.
So you may be asking yourself, "What about individuality and denominations?
Are we all supposed to just leave our Churches and form one massive Church?"
Well I think that 1 Corinthians 12 clearly answers this question for us.
"Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one
body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one
body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one
Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the
body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear
should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not
for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where
would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the
sense of smell be? But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of
them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the
body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body."
1 Corinthians 12:12-19
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You see the wonderful thing about God is he truly loves diversity! In fact, He
created it!
God's the one who made all kinds of fish and birds, plants and landscapes. He
did't just create deserts and cattle. Thank God! No offense to anyone living in
TX! lol. I love Texas! But God made "various" kinds of everything! Including humans! There are all kinds of colors of skin and eyes and hair. There are different
shapes and sizes, cultures and languages. People have different tastes in food, art,
music, architecture, clothes. We have different gifts as individuals and as communities. Unity is not conformity! Unity is a celebration of diversity working together
for the common good. I don't believe that the scriptures are instructing us all to
become one denomination, read the same version of the bible, wear the same
clothes, worship in the same way or reach the same group of people. What it is
telling us is this: Stop trying to do it alone. No man or church is an island.
Your church may be great at reaching inner-city youth in Hong Kong and another church great at reaching the surfing community in Malibu. My church may
have a vision to reach the people of Vietnam but may not know how and your
church may have great training programs for cross-cultural missions. Every clan
of christians has a unique set of talents and resources and when we join forces we
become an unstoppable force for the gospel. Clan McLellan is a great clan. But
clan McLellan alone could have never gained their Independence. The Scots
needed the clans of archers and swordsmen, spear makers and blacksmiths, and
revery clan united. William Wallace was executed but his sacrifice inspired the
clans of Scotland to unite. Jesus Christ was also executed and his dying wish was
that we would be ONE. A beautiful bride from every tribe and language united in
a single purpose. To share the good news with all creation. Death has been swallowed in victory!
Unite The Clans.
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CHAPTER 3
Such A Time As This
As I have mentioned my family tree includes a long line of Presbyterians. When I
was a wee lad my folks took me to the Presbyterian Church. Then in 5th grade I
convinced them to switch to the Methodist Church down the road where my
friends were going. I enjoyed Church and youth group but it wasn't until my girlfriend in High school told me about a personal relationship with Christ that I began to see my faith very differently. One summer she led me in a prayer of salvation and everything changed. For the first time in my life I had true peace. And
that peace has never left me. The only way I can explain it is a "knowing." I know
that Christ is real and I know that he saved me. I feel found. And it is glorious.
When I graduated from High School I went to Northwestern University. It
was during my college years that I had a serious talk with God about the Church.
I think that part of my hesitancy in becoming a Christian was having to be a part
of such a divided community. So I got honest with the LORD one day and I told
him, " I'm not crazy about this whole Church thing. Why are there so many denominations and so much racial divide in the Church? I'm just not sure I want to
be a part of all this." But deep in my gut I sensed the Spirit of God speaking to
my heart. "My son this is WHY I have called you. You will help my body unite."
I honestly don't remember if those were the exact words or if there were words at
all. But I had a sense that I was born for such a time as this. That we were ALL
born for such a time as this. I knew that God saw the division, the racism, the brokenness of His body. But I also knew that God wanted to bring reconciliation and
healing. As I began studying more of the scriptures I found John 17. In this
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prayer of Jesus I began to see more clearly the heart of God for His Body of believers. I began to have hope.
I studied Church history at Garrett Seminary in Evanston. More and more information was filling my mind. I began to see how sometimes serious matters and
often silly ones had brought division and splits in the Body. Everything from the
Reformation to arguments over tongues vs. no tongues, full emersion baptism vs.
sprinkling, King James or NIV. And the list goes on and on....and on. Some say
the Lord's prayer with the word debts and others use trespasses. Divisions happened between races and cultures, the haves and the have nots. There are literally
over 30,000 denominations around the world. In 1900 there were an estimated
1600 denominations. This used to bother me to no end. To me all of these differences appeared to be the great weakness of Christianity. Then I began to realize
that there is a difference between diversity and division. A BIG difference!
A few friends of mine gathered weekly on Wednesdays to pray for unity on
Northwestern's campus. We tried holding a few events to bring together the various campus organizations. We did this for several years. There were quite a few
different groups including InterVarsity, The Navigators, Campus Crusade for
Christ, The Gospel Choir and many others. Some were more traditional, some
more liberal, others more conservative or charismatic. The events we held were
sparsely attended and it felt a little like hitting our heads against a wall as far as fostering real partnerships between the various groups. Then something miraculous
happened. Northwestern's football team went to the Rose Bowl! It was awesome!
But what happened with two of the players was even more remarkable. One of
the players was black and one was white. Together they had a vision of bringing
together all of the Christians on campus to worship and pray in order to reach the
campus for Christ! They called the event: One Love. United By The Blood. They
held the event at Pick-Staiger hall on the campus and it was completely packed!
There were Christians and non Christians, blacks and asians and hispanics, middle easterners and indians, europeans and on and on. Over 2000 believers gath14
ered in celebration. All of the campus groups performed or led worship. People
came to Christ and everyone was in awe. God had answered our prayers and it
was truly glorious!
I began to understand that we could all be united, of the same heart and purpose, while celebrating our differences. I will always remember seeing how the
Spirit of God can move on people to bring about His purposes.
Yes, there are differences and even hurts that need to be resolved. Yes, there
are racial and theological chasms that seem impossible to bridge. Yes, we have inherited in some ways a very divided Body of Christ. But, this doesn't change Jesus' prayer for us to be ONE. And it doesn't change the fact that God chooses broken people and broken communities to work His miracles.
My experience at Northwestern gave me a vision for what can happen, despite
our differences, when hearts are welcoming to the move and work of God. The
call to Unite God's Kingdom is no easy task. There are dividing walls that we
may beat our heads against. But let us ask ourselves. Would we rather be found
beating our heads or doing nothing at all. And sometimes when we think we've
prayed all we can pray and done all we can do, this is the exact moment that God
swiftly performs His miracles. So don't lose heart. Be strong and courageous. Try
stuff ! Go with an open mind. Seek reconciliation in your Church, in your Community, in your World.
For such a time as this have we been born.
Yes, I'm talking to you my friend.
Unite The Clans
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CHAPTER 4
Battle Hammer
If I had a hammer,
I'd hammer in the morning,
I'd hammer in the evening,
All over this land,
I'd hammer out danger,
I'd hammer out a warning,
I'd hammer out love between,
My brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
performed by Peter, Paul and Mary
Thank God that the most visual and memorable figure of the Civil
Rights Movement of the 1960's was a valiant member of the Body of Christ.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Lincoln are my two favorite figures in
American History. In some ways they were partners in a hundred year war to end
slavery and segregation in America. Both of them eventually paid the ultimate
price to accomplish the vision that God had placed in their hearts. But as I stop to
write this chapter I'm realizing that they needed each other. Abraham needed
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Martin to finish the work that he had begun and Martin needed Abraham to start
the work that only he could finish. They were and ever will be brothers in the
cause of the Kingdom of God. They both had a vision "Thy Kingdom Come."
The story of America really is a picture of Christians on a long road to wholeness
and sanctification. The fact that we started this nation owning slaves and treating
black people as less than human is not a good history. It is a major mark against
us. Remember a lot of these slaveowners were "Christians." But all of history is
full of these dark periods in the history of the Church. The Crusades, Indulgences, The Inquisition, The Salem Witch Trials, The Trail of Tears, and on and
on!
Why? How? How could people who claimed to be loved by God treat people
so horribly? Well I can only conceive of a few answers. Either they never truly believed the message of grace. Or they were deceived. Or just very ignorant of
what the Bible actually teaches about love. What the case actually was we may
never know. But we can learn. And we can evolve. If we fail to act on what we
have learned from the past then we will only perpetuate the same mistakes of our
ancestors.
As a society, outside of religion, we have actually come so far. But the Church
should be an example to the world of true equality, freedom and compassion. We
are to be the trend setters. And in some ways we have been. President Lincoln
and Dr. King were both believers in the grace and love of God displayed to us in
the person of Jesus Christ. Together they led the march to freedom for African
Americans. Those are just two examples. There have been countless leaders
throughout history who have done some small or big part in bringing the Body of
Christ closer together. Who have hit the wall of division with their hammer of
truth and justice. But my friends, my family, we have so much more work to do. It
starts with us and our hammers. what's your hammer? Do you sing? Do you
teach the Bible? Are you an accountant? A businesswoman? Are you good with
children? Maybe you are good at planning events or maybe you're good at sup17
porting them. Whatever your hammer is, you have a role to play. The giant of
division stands in the field like mighty Goliath. Taunting us and our God. "I dare
you to face me," he taunts.
I was taunted by that giant one day during my time at Garrett Seminary. I was
leading worship with one of my favorite Songs by David Ruis. Its called Break Dividing Walls.
There is a place of commanding blessing
Where brethren in unity dwell
A place where anointing oil is flowing
Where we live as one
You have called us to be a body
You have called us as friends
Joined together in the bond of the Spirit
Unto the end
Father we join with the prayer of Jesus
As you are so let us be one
Joined together in unity and purpose
All for the love you Son
We will break dividing walls
We will break dividing walls
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We will break dividing walls in the name of your Son
We will break dividing walls
We will break dividing walls
And we will be one
During the recording of the song, David would begin shouting out different people groups. "Between the Catholics and the Protestants, between the Baptists and the Methodists, "and so on.... So when I was leading I did the same thing
and I guess somewhere in there I said between the Methodists and the Presbyterians because after the service I was approached by a pastor. He confidently informed me that the Methodists and the Presbyterians would never get along.
There was, in his mind, too much bad blood between them. You know the last
time I checked there is nothing bad about the blood of Jesus. And aren't we all
covered by that same blood? Jesus' blood was shed on a cross for the sins of the
whole world. Isn't this what the scriptures teach? Now again I ask you. What?
Why? Why do we STILL have these prejudices? Have we completely missed
what the scriptures teach about loving one another, about the fact that in Revelation we get a picture of every tribe and every tongue worshipping before the
throne of God? All safe. All forgiven. All together.
No, the work of reconciliation and unity is not over my friends. Don't let yourselves be deceived. The enemy of God wants you to believe two things. The first
is that there is no division. If you figure out this first lie then he will lie again and
say that the dividing wall is so great that it will never come down.
But don't for a second believe him.
Instead get your hammer out and start pounding.
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And if we all get out our hammers and get to work, God himself
will meet us there and build His Church.
He promises that we can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us!
Unite The Clans
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CHAPTER 5
All You Need Is Love
Is it really that simple?
Isn't that kind of cliche?
Surely fulfilling the great commission takes more intellect and know how!
But when we look at the teachings of Jesus, everything boils down pretty
clearly.
"Do to others as you would have them do to you."
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your strength and with all your mind" and, "Love your neighbor as yourself."
"Three things will last forever--faith, hope, and love--and the greatest of these
is love."
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you
must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you
love one another.”
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Ok, check out this last one! "By this Everyone will know that you are my disciples; if you love one another." Oh my brothers and sisters in Christ! The new
command is not burdensome! It is simple. Jesus asks us to love one another. And
the outcome is that Everyone will know that we belong to Jesus. Again we are seeing the power of a Church that is ONE in love!
Remember in Jesus' prayer in John 17 He says this:
"I in them and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity.
Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have
loved me."
Can you feel Jesus' heart for us as believers? His heart for he world? His passion is literally bleeding out of him.
Oh Father! I want them to know LOVE. From the greatest to the smallest.
Let my followers be so full of love for one another that it overflows into the streets.
Let our Love be inside them. In fact let's just go ahead and make our home within
the actual people. Let their hearts be our temple through which grace is administered to a lost and broken world. Then everyone will know that God is Love. (my
paraphrase)
Its all fantastic really.
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So where then is hate in love?
Nowhere.
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Where is prejudice and stereo typing?
Nowhere.
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Where is division?
Nope. Can't find it either.
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So how do we get this great love of God and what does it look like?
I'm not talking Pie in the Sky rainbows and butterflies.
What is love? In the real world?
And how can we harness the power and wonder of God's love to reconcile the
broken Body of Christ, the Church.
Well first of all I don't have all the answers.
But together we can find them.
Remember, keep it simple.
Christians can be very talented at making simple things confusing and hard.
Me included. Remember the pharisee who asked Jesus "Who then is my
neighbor?"
This guy was only trying to complicate things.
So the simple answer that comes to mind is this:
1. God is Love
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not
proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it
keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
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2. When you accept Jesus as the Savior and turn from your sins you are saved.
"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the
Lord shall be saved."
3. God then fills you with His Spirit of Love
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
Now! You have the power of God inside of you to love others!
There, its really that simple.
No, really :)
So don't complicate it.
Just allow the Spirit to show you what steps to take.
Jesus is with you. He will help you.
Unite The Clans.
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CHAPTER 6
Praising One Another
You know families are either good or bad about celebrating one another. Some
families are great at encouragement and praise. Others reserve their compliments
for special occasions. And then there are families that never celebrate anything or
anyone. What kind of family is yours? What kind of family do you think the family of God should be? Should we be generous with praise or stingy?
Let's look at a few scriptures...
"Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also
are doing."
"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of
you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good
deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
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The scriptures are pretty clear that hanging out and encouraging one another
are great ways to express our love. People see this kind of love and they are drawn
to a community like this. Especially one that crosses economical and racial barriers. Don't you see. This could be the Churches greatest hour in history! We've
had some very bumpy roads but we are on our way to glory. We are destined to be
that bride without spot or wrinkle. And the world will see that and want to know.
Where do I sign up?
But lets get back to encouragement.
I want to say this. Every clan has its strengths and its weaknesses. Lets learn to
celebrate the strengths and shore up the weaknesses. Let us cover each others
backs instead of biting them.
Lets start right now.
The Catholic Church
-gave us Mother Theresa, thank you!
-started over 230 colleges and universities in the U.S. alone, thank you!
-they operate the largest non-governmental school system in the world! Whoa!!
-over 600 hospitals which treat 1 out of every 5 people in the U.S. , thank you!
-funded some of the most important works of art history, including the Sistine
Chapel!
-have truly set the bar worldwide in acts of charity and philanthropy. thank
you!
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The Baptist Church
-gave us the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr! Hallelujah!
-gave us Billy Graham, millions thank you!
- branched out into the Missionary Baptist Church
-has over 50 colleges and universities, thank you!
-has countless hospitals all over the world. Again, thank you!
-have sent tens of thousands of missionaries all over the world who serve the
poor, care for the sick, and share the gospel, thank you!
The Methodist Church
-gave us John and Charles Wesley and their wonderful hymns and writings!
-A huge part of the great awakening in America
-have missionaries in over 60 countries around the globe caring for the daily
spiritual and physical needs of those they serve. Out of this work gave us the
KMCI (Korean Methodist Church). Thank you!
- have developed the Stephen ministry serving their local communities. Bravo!
-have started countless universities and hospitals including Northwestern!
So you can see! That's just a few of the good things of a few of the clans!
My friends! We are so rich indeed! A true wealth of culture and diversity!
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I don't have time to even begin to name all of the clans and their accomplishments.
Clans like the Anglicans, The Vineyard, Hope Chapel, The Pentecostals, The
Presbyterians, The Lutherans, The Missionary Baptists, The Orthodox Churches,
The Assemblies of God, The Church of the Nazarene, African Methodist Episcopal Church, The Salvation Army, The Quakers, The Mennonites, The Charismatics, The Protestants, and countless non-denominational Churches reaching hundreds of thousands of people every day.
We have so much to celebrate together!
Unite The Clans.
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CHAPTER 7
What Now?
So you may be thinking. "Yes we have so much to celebrate. I mean look at all we
have done! So why the need to unite the clans? I mean when you look closer it
seems like we are doing an awful lot to reach the world with the gospel." Yes, and
this is my point exactly! The Body of Christ is wonderful in so many ways! But
the sad truth is this: Only 32% of the world's population consider themselves a
part of our family. 68% of the world still needs to know. That's over 4 Billion people! In THIS generation! And the longer we wait the larger the number grows!
Jesus has told us what must happen in order for us to reach them. We must unite!
This my friends is the simple key. As Mr. Ripley says, "Believe it or not." But the
scriptures are clear. ALL PEOPLE will know we are His disciples by our LOVE
for one another.
I've been writing this book for over 20 years in my head. Its only now that I've
written it down. This is God's heart for our generation my friends.
What you have to offer to be a reconciling agent in your community I cannot
say. But Jesus knows your community, your pastors, your dividing walls.
He wants to use you, he needs all of us to join in His Kingdom building work.
"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us
the ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18) So my advice is this. Start
with prayer. Ask God to use you to unite the clans. Gather a few friends to join
you. Make some new friends from other clans. Remember, Jesus changed the
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world with 12 people. So start small if you have to. But expect big things from
God! Have faith that Unity in the Body is the Heart of God. Remember, you
don't have to compromise your beliefs or water down your faith. But if you go
with an open heart, you might just learn a thing or two. I guarantee you and the
world you know will be better for the trying.
"We shall overcome, we shall overcome,
We shall overcome someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday....
...We'll walk hand in hand, we'll walk hand in hand,
We'll walk hand in hand someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We'll walk hand in hand someday."
"For he says, “'In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I
have helped you.'” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
Unite The Clans.
Unite The Clans Copyright 2015 Mike Musick
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